Peter,
I notice that things color differently here than they did in MA too. That not only goes for semps but also irises and daylilies too. Out here I get better anthocyanin pigments (purple and red) but less good carotenoids (yellows and orange pigments). The time that things color are also affected out here. Our spring is very prolonged here so we have several pigment changes over that time. 'Killer' for example goes through a phase where it is nearly black and other times a red/ green bicolor and all patterns and colors in between. One seedling from it is so variable I have jokingly thought of calling it "Chameleon" as it has phases where it;s a lovely lavender, a red/ green bicolor, and a red. All the phases are lovely but I keep looking at the tag and saying "Who are you" and I'm surprised it has gone through this change.
'Missouri Rose' is very different out here. In MA it was rose for much of the year and faded slightly over the summer. Out here it's best color is in August.
Even as a PhD in botany i find these changes fascinating.
Kevin
